Gallup poll: For the first time, strong majority of Americans favor legalizing marijuana

Americans have been hearing a lot about legalizing marijuana in the past year, from decriminalization of possession, new medical marijuana systems starting here and in Canada and, of course, the creation of a legal markets here, Colorado and Uruguay … and now – for the first time in history – a strong majority of Americans are all for it.

Gallup Poll just released it latest study: “… for the first time, a clear majority of Americans (58%) say the drug should be legalized. This is in sharp contrast to the time Gallup first asked the question in 1969, when only 12% favored legalization.”

It’s the first time that Americans have have approved of legalization in a clear majority, including a 10 percent jump since last November when the country was more or less split on the topic.

Gallup writes:

Public support for legalization more than doubled in the 1970s, growing to 28%. It then plateaued during the 1980s and 1990s before inching steadily higher since 2000, reaching 50% in 2011.

Success at the ballot box in the past year in Colorado and Washington may have increased Americans’ tolerance for marijuana legalization. Support for legalization has jumped 10 percentage points since last November and the legal momentum shows no sign of abating. Last week, California’s second-highest elected official, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, said that pot should be legal in the Golden State, and advocates of legalization are poised to introduce a statewide referendum in 2014 to legalize the drug.

The Obama administration has also been flexible on the matter. Despite maintaining the government’s firm opposition to legalizing marijuana under federal law, in late August Deputy Attorney General James Cole announced the Justice Department would not challenge the legality of Colorado’s and Washington’s successful referendums, provided that those states maintain strict rules regarding the drug’s sale and distribution.

Independents going for legalization

Little has changed among Democrats and Republicans when it comes to legal pot (Dems strongly for and GOP not so much), but voters who describe themselves as independents are switching fast: “Sixty-two percent of independents now favor legalization, up 12 points from November 2012.”

Also, those damn kids are for it … and there are a lot of them out there: “67% of Americans aged 18 to 29 back legalization. Clear majorities of Americans aged 30 to 64 also favor legalization.”

Gallup’s bottom line:

Whatever the reasons for Americans’ greater acceptance of marijuana, it is likely that this momentum will spur further legalization efforts across the United States. Advocates of legalizing marijuana say taxing and regulating the drug could be financially beneficial to states and municipalities nationwide. But detractors such as law enforcement and substance abuse professionals have cited health risks including an increased heart rate, and respiratory and memory problems.

With Americans’ support for legalization quadrupling since 1969, and localities on the East Coast such as Portland, Maine, considering a symbolic referendum to legalize marijuana, it is clear that interest in this drug and these issues will remain elevated in the foreseeable future.